**Site Security Features

Captcha is a security tool that appears if we detect some unusual activity from a user's account.

At Upwork, we take great measures to help ensure a safe and thriving online workplace. This includes security models that flag suspicious activity, tools that scan site content, and entire teams dedicated to freelancer and client success. Asking users to enter CAPTCHA when we detect unusual activity is just one of these tools.

CAPTCHA entries are requested if we detect activity that is unusual for a user, but this does not necessarily mean the account has been compromised.

If a user believes their account has been compromised: they can follow the steps here - Secure a Compromised Account

If a user is asked to do CAPTCHA frequently (e.g. every 30 minutes) and is frustrated:

Here are a few steps users can take to limit the number of times CAPTCHA is required -

• Enable Javascript
• Enable Cookies
• Ensure browser is not blocking ads
• Ensure browser is not blocking Upwork analytical tools

If the problem persists, request user to send the reference ID located at the bottom of the CAPTCHA page. In those cases, go to **Tech Support Best Practices and start with Section 3.

As part of standard security protocol, we automatically trigger emails to users who have had their logins flagged as “high-risk”.There are 2 scenarios in which a user can be flagged as a high-risk login. These are when our system detects that the user is logging in with:

• a new IP and new device OR
• a new IP and a device that is not identifiable

If the site recognizes any one 1 of the 3 in each scenario, the user’s login is not high risk and they won’t receive an email. As new Upwork users will have devices, IPs, and cities that are new to us, we are excluding those who have registered on Upwork in the last 3 days from all high-risk login emails. Once they pass the 3-day threshold, they will begin to qualify if we detect a high-risk login.

Example of email users will receive:

Why am I getting this email?

You’re receiving this email because our systems have identified your login as coming from a location, IP, and device that we have not seen before or cannot identify. By sending you a security notification, we hope to keep you notified of all unusual login attempts and help ensure your online safety.

My listed city is incorrect.

Because we approximate your location based on your IP address information, the city listed in the email may be the city closest to you.

Why isn’t Upwork recognizing my normal device?

We may be unable to recognize a sign-in attempt when you’ve cleared your cookies, updated your browser, or are logged in under private browsing mode.

Can I unsubscribe from security notifications?

To help ensure that your account is secure, it is currently not possible to unsubscribe from official Upwork security notifications.

What can I do if the login reported in the email looks suspicious to me?

If the login details reported in the email look suspicious to you, secure your account immediately by resetting your password. (if user cannot login to account, see **User Login Trouble)